PUTTING 
MARSHVILLE 

the    Map 


California 
Regional 
acility 

• 
i 

I:: 


WILLIAM    CANS  ON    R.OSE 


POMONA  V..        riJSPU 


JONES'  BOOK  STORE 


"P 


Jtp-dL     cr^-L. 


. 

\J 


PUTTING  MARSHVILLE 
ON  THE  MAP 


OF  CALIF.  LIBRARY,  LOS  ANGELA! 


PUTTING 
MARSHVILLE 
ON  THE  MAP 


WILLIAM  GANSON  ROSE 

Author  of 
"The  Ginger  Gate" 


NEW  YORK 

DUFFIELD  &  COMPANY 

1912 


COPYRIGHT,  19W 

BT 
WILLIAM  GANSON  ROSB 


TO 
MY  FATHER 


WILLIAM  RUSSELL  ROSE 

WITH  APPRECIATION 

OF  AN  BVER.HELPFUL 

INTEREST 


21,32623 


PUTTING  MARSHVILLE 
ON  THE  MAP 


John  Hancock  Barker  stared  at  the  tele- 
gram in  his  hand* 

To    John  Hancock  Barker* 

16  West  82nd  Street, 
Roxbury,  N.  Y. 

Report         for          duty         October         first 
instead         of      September         first  see 

letter 

American  Airship  Company 
Arthur  Henshaw 

The  young  man  crumpled  the  paper  in 
his  left  hand  and  thoughtfully  stroked  the 
back  of  his  head  with  his  right* 

"Hm — m — /'  he  mused,  "that  means  a 
vacation*  Let's  see*  This  is  the  28th  of 
August*  The  proposition  is  how  to  kill 
four  weeks*  New  York?  Not  in  August* 
Atlantic  City?  Tired  of  it*  A  hurry-up 
trip  across  the  water?  Good*  111  wire 
for  a  reservation*" 


PUTTING  MARSHVILLE  ON  THE  MAP 

He  tossed  the  telegram  into  his  desk  and 
drew  an  ink  pencil  from  his  pocket*  "Lon- 
don, then  Paris,  a  run  through  Switzer- 
land, and "  He  paused*  A  look  of 

seriousness  came  over  his  long,  flexible 
face* 

"Hold  on,  old  boy,  how  about  Mary?" 
His  pale  gray  eyes  stared  thoughtfully  into 
space*  "Well,  you  are  a  forgetful  curmud- 
geon I  Get  engaged  to  a  girl,  picture  to  her 
a  honeymoon  through  Europe,  and  then, 
Just  because  she's  gone  for  a  visit  to  an  old 
schoolmate  and  you  have  time  on  your 
hands,  you  plan  a  program  of  rank  selfish- 
ness*" 

He  put  the  ink  pencil  back  into  his 
pocket* 

"Why,    John    Hancock    Barker,    I'm 

ashamed  of  you*   Your  first  duty  is  to  put 

in  the  next  four  weeks  in  the  most  quiet 

and  restful  way  possible.    You  must  get 

8 


PUTTING  MARSHVILLE  ON  THE  MAP 

yourself  into  trim  for  that  new  position* 
Your  second  duty  is  to  spend  just  as  little 
money  as  is  absolutely  necessary*  Re- 
member, you've  promised  a  half  interest  in 
your  capital  stock  to  a  life  partner*  Letting 
the  question  of  duty  alone,  why,  the  very 
thought  of  your  future  happiness  with  the 
sweetest  girl  in  the  world  ought  to  be 
enough  for  a  dozen  vacations.  Young 
man,  you  should  be  willing  to  spend  the 
next  month  in  the  deadest  place  on  earth/' 

A  smile  crept  over  his  face, 

"The  deadest  place  on  earth?  Why, 
those  were  Mary's  words,"  he  mused, 
"'Were  you  ever  in  Marshville,  my  old 
home?*  she  asked,  'Not  that  I  can  remem- 
ber/ I  answered.  *Well,  it's  a  dear,  old 
spot/  she  told  me,  'but  honestly,  John,  it's 
the  deadest  place  on  earth/  " 

He  laughed  softly, 

"Marshville  for  mine!"  he  exclaimed. 


PUTTING  MARSHVILLE  ON  THE  MAP 

The  customary  attendance  was  on  hand 
at  the  Marshville  station  the  next  afternoon 
when  the  4:  JO  hesitated  as  usual  at  4:45. 
John  Hancock  Barker  and  a  short,  fat 
man,  carrying  a  sample-case,  stepped  from 
one  of  the  two  passenger  coaches.  A  mo- 
ment later  five  people  loaded  down  with 
bundles  climbed  aboard. 

The  fat  man  chuckled  as  he  turned  to  his 
companion. 

"What  did  I  teU  you?"  he  said.  "It's 
getting  deader  and  smaller  every  day. 
Two  of  us  coming  in  and  five  going  out. 
Oh,  you'll  have  a  lovely  time  in  this  burg/' 
He  laughed  again. 

"I  came  for  a  change,"  said  Barker. 
"I've  had  nothing  but  the  noise  and  hustle 
of  the  city  for  ten  years.  I  need  a  touch  of 
simple  life." 

"Well,  you'll  get  that  all  right,  believe 
me,"  said  the  traveling  man.    "How  long 
you  going  to  stay?    A  week?" 
JO 


PUTTING  MARSHVILLE  ON  THE  MAP 

"A  month/' 

The  fat  man  whistled  and  then  broke 
into  a  noisy  laugh  that  echoed  through  the 
little  station* 

"Aboard,"  shouted  the  conductor,  and 
the  engine,  with  quickening  puffs,  pulled 
the  stubby  train  out  of  Marshvilie. 

The  commercial  traveler  sighed. 

"There  it  goes,"  he  said,  "my  kst 
chance  to  get  back  into  civilization  for 
twenty-four  hours*" 

"Is  there  only  one  train  that  goes 
through  here  each  day?"  asked  Barker. 

"No,"  replied  the  short  man.  "Any 
number  of  them  go  through.  This  is  the 
only  westbound  that  stops."  He  chuckled 
again.  "Partner,"  he  said,  "I  make  this 
town  once  a  month.  If  the  house  doesn't 
cut  it  off  my  itinerary  in  the  meantime,  I'm 
due  here  the  30th  of  September*  If  you're 
on  hand  that  day,  I'll  buy  you  the  biggest 
chicken  dinner  ever  put  up  at  the  Spencer 
n 


PUTTING  MARSHVILLE  ON  THE  MAP 

House — I  believe  that's  what  they  call  the 
Waldorf  of  Marshville*  If  you're  not 
here,  you'll  owe  me  the  dinner  the  next 
time  I  run  across  you/' 

"Done/'  cried  Barker,  and  the  two  men 
shook  hands* 

A  short  ride  in  a  rickety  cab  with  iron 
tires  took  the  younger  man  to  the  rusty 
appearing  Spencer  House,  where  he  regis- 
tered, ate  a  good,  country  dinner  and  en- 
joyed a  cigar  in  a  big  rocking-chair  on  the 
spacious  porch.  He'rocked  and  he  smoked 
and  he  thought?  then  he  stopped  smoking 
and  rocking,  but  he  kept  on  thinking. 

"It  sure  is  quiet/'  he  yawned.  "If  Mary 
could  only  see  me  now!  I  wonder  if  the 
traveling  man  was  right.  Hold  on,  John 
Hancock  Barker,  you  mustn't  let  a  little 
rest  make  you  restless.  What  you  need  is 
human  companionship.  You're  bad  com- 
pany for  yourself.  Let's  see,  it  must  be 
12 


PUTTING  MARSHVILLE  ON  THE  MAP 

about  half-past  seven/'  He  jerked  his 
watch  from  his  trousers'  pocket.  "What? 
Good  gracious,  only  6:40!  Well,  a  walk, 
the  theatre  and  a  letter  to  Mary!" 

He  strolled  into  the  office  of  the  Spencer 
House  and  approached  the  clerk. 

"Any  good  shows  in  town?"  he  asked. 

"Any  what?"  drawled  the  raw-boned 
and  dismal-looking  individual  behind  the 
counter, 

"Any  shows?"  asked  Barker.  "Haven't 
you  got  a  stock  company  here,  or  do  you 
just  have  vaudeville  during  the  summer?" 

"We  ain't  got  no  stock  comp'ny  nor  any 
voddyville,  neither.  There  was  a  picter 
show  once  over  to  the  Odd  Fellers  Hall, 
but  it  busted." 

"Well,  what's  doing  to  entertain  a 
stranger?"  inquired  the  new  guest.  "I  ex- 
pect to  be  here  some  little  time  and  want  to 
get  acquainted  with  the  place.  What  are 
the  sights  of  the  town,  anyway?" 


PUTTING  MARSHVILLE  ON  THE  MAP 

The  lanky  clerk  thoughtfully  put  a 
large,  vein-marked  hand  over  his  mouth. 
Then  he  withdrew  his  hand  and  clicked 
his  tongue.  "Well,  there's  the  Soldiers' 
Monnyment  over  on  the  Square,  the  Per- 
kins* famly  memorial  up  in  the  cemet'ry 
and  the  big  lace  fac'try  beyond  the  sta- 
tion/' 

"I  didn't  know  you  made  lace  here,"  said 
Barker. 

"We  don't,"  replied  the  clerk. 

"Then  what's  the  factory  for?" 

"Well,  it's  a  long  story,  but  the  main  fact 
is  that  some  out-of-town  capitalists  com- 
bined with  a  number  of  our  leadin*  citi- 
zens to  start  the  establishment,  but  after 
they  got  the  buildin'  about  two-thirds 
done,  our  people  decided  that  the  risk  was 
too  great  and  wouldn't  put  up  their  part 
of  the  money*  There's  ben  a  lawsuit  on 
for  a  couple  of  years,  but  I  guess  most 
M 


PUTTING  MARSHVILLE  ON  THE  MAP 

likely  the  buildin'  will  tumble  down  before 
anybody  comes  along  to  finish  it/' 

John  Hancock  Barker  turned  his  face 
to  the  window,  so  that  the  clerk  might 
not  read  his  estimate  of  Marshville.  With 
the  three  leading  features  of  the  town  a 
monument,  a  memorial  and  a  deserted  fac- 
tory, surely  the  traveling  man's  statements 
were  proving  true, 

"What's  your  population?" 

"''Bout  forty-five  hunderd." 

"I  understood  Marshville  was  a  city  sev- 
eral years  ago,  and  that  means  five  thous- 
and." 

The  clerk  rubbed  his  chin. 

"We  had  five  thousand  several  years 
ago,'  he  said,  "but  we've  ben  slippin'  back 
a  little.  That's  what  the  meetin'  is  fer 
to-night." 

"Meeting?" 

<rVep.  Over  to  the  town  hall  It's  to 
J5 


PUTTING  MARSHVILLE  ON  THE  MAP 

be  a  mass  meetin'  of  the  leadin'  citizens* 
They're  goin'  to  take  action  on  some  civic 
boomin'  ideas,  and  there's  goin'  to  be  some 
good  speeches  on  both  sides/' 

"Both  sides!  You  don't  tell  me  there's 
anybody  that  wants  to  hold  the  town 
back?" 

"Why,  yes,"  admitted  the  clerk,  "Most 
of  us  think  that  Marshville's  big  enough 
now.  I  can't  see  as  it  'ud  do  me  any  good 
to  have  it  bigger/' 

Barker  didn't  want  to  start  a  discussion, 
so  he  changed  the  subject* 

"Will  Silas  Burns  attend  the  meeting?" 
he  asked.  He  had  never  seen  Mary's 
father  and  this  might  be  his  first  chance* 

"Yep,  hell  be  there  all  right.  Better 
come  over  yourself." 

"I  will,"  agreed  the  young  man,  and,  as 
he  said  it,  he  thought  there  might  possibly 
be  an  opportunity  for  making  a  favorable 
J6 


PUTTING  MARSHVILLE  ON  THE  MAP 

impression  upon  his  future  father-in-law* 

"It's  to  be  at  seven-thirty,"  volunteered 
the  clerk. 

"Then  I'll  take  a  look  at  the  factory 
first/'  said  Barker,  "and  stop  in  at  the 
meeting  on  the  way  back/' 

He  walked  briskly  to  the  station  and  up 
the  road  along  the  tracks  until  he  came  to 
the  massive  concrete  shell  of  the  lace  fac- 
tory* 

"Another  monument,"  he  mused; 
"erected  to  outside  enthusiasm  that  died  in 
Marshville/' 

He  glanced  at  his  watch,  hurried  back  to 
the  Square  and  joined  the  straggling  crowd 
that  was  sauntering  into  the  town  halL 

Jeremiah  Pease,  Mayor  of  Marshville, 
a  puffy  little  man,  mounted  the  platform 
and  called  the  meeting  to  order. 

"The  purpose  of  this  gathering/'  he 
said,  "is  to  discuss  the  future  of  Marsh- 
J7 


PUTTING  MARSHVILLE  ON  THE  MAP 

ville*  You  all  know  that  Marshville  has 
been  a  city  and  so  recognized  by  the  gov- 
ernment during  the  past  ten  years*  For 
some  reason  we've  dropped  back  a  little* 
According  to  our  city  clerk's  estimate, 
made  last  month,  the  population  now  lacks 
five  hundred  of  the  necessary  five  thous- 
and to  allow  it  a  legal  city  government*  If 
anything's  to  be  done,  it's  got  to  be  done 
immediately*  The  census  count  is  to  be 
made  in  about  six  months,  o»  to  be  exact, 
next  April*  Gentlemen  of  Marshville,  I 
want  to  make  an  appeal  to  your  love  of 
home  and  your  spirit  of  progress*  By 
united  effort  I  believe  it  would  be  possible 
to  build  up  the  population  before  the  census 
count  is  taken,  so  that  we  may  still  be  a 
recognized  city*  It  is  to  the  interest  of 
every  property  owner  and  of  every  man 
doing  business  to  help  with  this  movement. 
What  is  your  pleasure?" 
{8 


PUTTING  MARSHVILLE  ON  THE  MAP 

Ezra  Miller,  a  tall,  keen-looking  man, 
who  enjoyed  the  reputation  of  being 
Marshville's  leading  lawyer,  arose  and  ob- 
tained the  recognition  of  the  chair*  "I 
want  to  offer  a  resolution,"  he  said*  "Here 
it  is: 

"  'Whereas,  it  is  believed  that  Marsh- 
ville's  population  has  decreased  during 
the  past  ten  years,  and  whereas  its  civic 
and  commercial  activity  is  somewhat 
sluggish  at  the  present  time; 

'"Therefore,  be  it  resolved,  that  the 
citizens  here  assembled  will  use  their 
best  endeavors  to  advance  Marshville's 
prosperity,  with  the  hope  that  its  popu- 
lation will  entitle  it  to  continue  to  be 
recognized  as  a  city  after  the  taking  of 
the  next  census*' " 

He  sat  down,  and  there  was  scat- 
tered and  half-hearted  applause  from  the 
listeners* 

J9 


PUTTING  MARSHVILLE  ON  THE  MAP 

"I  second  the  motion/'  said  a  young  man 
of  clean-cut  appearance  whom  Barker's 
neighbor  on  the  right  described  as  "Thet 
young  college  feller,  Sheldon  Ball*" 

"You've  heard  the  resolution/'  said  the 
Mayor*  "Are  there  any  remarks?" 

A  feeble  old  man,  badly  bent  and  with 
a  weak  voice,  arose* 

"I've  lived  in  this  here  place  fifty-seven 
year,"  he  said,  "and  I  want  to  tell  you,  it 
has  grown  suthin'  remarkable*  Wy,  I 
was  one  of  the  first  eighteen  inhabitants, 
and  now  I  don't  b'lieve  I  know  more  than 
half  the  people  in  the  place*  It's  too  big 
fer  me  a'ready,  and  the  fust  thing  you 
know  we'll  hev  to  be  lookin'  out  fer  the 
smoke  noosance  and  the  tennyment  prob- 
lems* I  vote  to  stay  a  village." 

Vigorous  hand  clapping  followed  the 
veteran's  observations. 

"Are  there  any  more  remarks?"  asked 
the  Mayor,  after  a  moment's  silence* 
20 


PUTTING  MARSHVILLE  ON  THE  MAP 

A  man  of  kindly  but  determined  coun- 
tenance arose  and  went  forward  to  the  plat- 
form* The  interest  of  all  present  appeared 
to  quicken*  When  the  chair  recognized 
the  new  speaker,  Barker  failed  to  catch  his 
name* 

"Gentlemen/*  he  began,  "my  property 
is  in  Marshville,  and  so  is  my  interest* 
Td  like  to  see  the  place  become  a  big, 
healthy  city  some  day,  but  the  time  is  not 
yet  ripe.  With  all  due  respect  to  his  honor, 
the  Mayor,  and  the  rest  of  the  city  officials, 
I  know  we  can  manage  our  affairs  less  ex- 
pensively as  a  village  than  as  a  city*  I 
don't  believe  in  booms,  and  if  any  effort 
was  made  to  boost  Marshville  at  this  time, 
I'm  afraid  it  would  have  no  lasting  effect* 
Accordingly,  I'm  strongly  opposed  to  the 
suggested  movement*" 

He  sat  down,  and  this  time  the  applause 
was  perceptibly  stronger  than  that  which 
followed  Ezra  Miller's  resolution* 
21 


PUTTING  MARSHVILLE  ON  THE  MAP 

"Are  there  any  further  remarks  ?"  asked 
the  Mayor. 

John  Hancock  Barker  thought  swiftly. 
Here  was  his  first  opportunity  to  make  a 
good  impression  upon  his  future  father-in- 
law,  who  was  undoubtedly  at  the  meeting. 

"Question,  question  I"  was  called  from 
the  rear  of  the  hall. 

"If  there  are  no  further  remarks/'  be- 
gan the  chairman,  but  Barker  interrupted 
him. 

"Mr.  Mayor,"  he  said,  with  a  short  bow. 

"Well,  sir/'  acknowledged  the  chair- 
man. 

"May  I  say  something?" 

"If  there  are  no  objections/'  The  May- 
or looked  around.  "You  can  proceed/' 

"You  do  not  know  me,"  said  the  young 

man.    "I'm  a  stranger  in  Marshville,  but 

I'm  interested  in  this  discussion.     "I've 

traveled  a  good  deal.    I've  studied  civic 

22 


PUTTING  MARSHVILLE  ON  THE  MAP 

life  and  civic  government*  I  understand 
your  problem*  I  can  solve  it*  First,  let  me 
ask  if  you  want  my  advice?"  He  paused* 

Indignation  and  surprise  were  written 
on  the  faces  of  his  audience* 

"Is  there  any  objection?'*  asked  the 
Mayor* 

There  were  many  unpleasant  scowls, 
but  no  verbal  protests* 

"You  may  proceed,"  said  Marshville's 
chief  executive* 

"Thank  you,"  said  Barker*  "In  the 
first  place,  let's  look  matters  squarely  in 
the  face*  Marshville  is  sick."  He  paused 
and  looked  around.  He  was  pleased  to 
see  his  remark  was  generally  resented. 

"Sick,"  he  repeated*  "A  traveling  man 
told  me  it  was  dead*  It  isn't  dead — it's 
just  sick," 

"What's  the  matter  with  it?"  piped  a 
weak  voice,  and  Barker  saw  that  it  eman- 
23 


PUTTING  MARSHVILLE  ON  THE  MAP 

ated  from  the  early  settler*  "I  say,  sir, 
what's  the  matter  with  it?" 

"General  debility,"  replied  the  young 
man*  "Its  liver  is  sluggish,  its  circulation 
poor,  its  whole  system  run  down!" 

"Put  him  out!"  shouted  the  old  man* 

"Put  him  out!"  echoed  a  half-dozen 
others* 

"He's  insulting  our  homes,"  shrieked  the 
early  settler*  "He's  insulting  us  all*  Put 
him  out,  I  say!" 

"Marshville  has  the  making  of  a  fine 
city,"  shouted  Barker  above  the  din  of 
angry  whisperings*  "But  first  it  needs  the 
ginger  cure !" 

The  unfriendly  noise  subsided  some- 
what, as  his  audience  couldn't  help  show- 
ing interest* 

"And  what  may  the  ginger  cure  be,  sir?" 
asked  the  Mayor* 

"Vigor,  energy  and  push,"  said  Barker* 
"Didn't  you  ever  think  of  a  greater  Marsh- 
24 


PUTTING  MARSHVILLE  ON  THE  MAP 

ville,  a  city  of  progress  and  opportunity,  a 
manufacturing  center,  a  market  place  for 
this  rich  agricultural  district,  a  municipal- 
ity in  which  you  would  all  take  pride,  be- 
cause you,  and  you,  and  you,  had  a  share 
in  making  its  name  significant  of  big 
things,  nobly  done?" 

He  took  his  time  now,  for  he  saw  that 
the  feeling  of  animosity  was  waning* 

"Did  you  ever  realize  that  your  location, 
your  transportation  facilities,  your  climate, 
but  most  of  all  your  solid  citizens " 

He  waited,  while  a  look  of  friendliness 
beamed  on  half  the  faces  of  those  about 
him*  He  took  up  his  sentence  where  he 
had  left  off* 

"Your  solid  citizens,  I  repeat,  make 
Marshville  an  ideal  site  for  a  future  city 
of  metropolitan  size." 

He  stopped  short  and  looked  around* 

His  enthusiasm  had  attracted  them  at 
first,  but  now  it  had  clinched  their  interest* 
25 


PUTTING  MARSHVILLE  ON  THE  MAP 

"A  city,  gentlemen/'  Barker  continued, 
"has  personality  and  character  and  soul, 
just  as  man  has,  and  working  to  build  up  a 
city  in  the  way  it  should  go  is  one  of  the 
pleasantest  duties  given  to  man.  Incident- 
ally, let  me  mention  that  the  building  up 
of  Marshville  would  mean  prosperity  for 
each  of  you,  but  as  I  look  about  at  your 
faces,  I  feel  sure  that  you  are  going  to  vote 
in  favor  of  the  question,  not  from  selfish 
motives,  but  because  you  want  a  bigger, 
better,  busier  and  more  beautiful  city/' 

He  paused  again*  There  was  a  mo- 
mentary silence,  and  then  a  burst  of  ap- 
plause, easily  the  strongest  of  the  evening. 

"Thank  you,  gentlemen/'  he  said  with 
a  bow,  and  resumed  his  seat* 

The  man  of  kindly  but  determined  coun- 
tenance, who  had  led  the  opposition, 
jumped  to  his  feet, 

"Mr,  Mayor/'  he  cried, 
26 


PUTTING  MARSHVILLE  ON  THE  MAP 

"Silas  Burns,"  acknowledged  the 
Mayor, 

Barker  was  stunned* 

"Silas  Burns/'  he  said  to  himself,  "my 
future  father-in-law!  Great  guns!  I 
wanted  to  make  a  good  impression  and 
here  I  am  opposing  him.  Well,  I  must  see 
it  through.  He  isn't  the  kind  of  man  who 
would  like  a  quitter  for  a  son-in-law," 

Mr,  Burns  again  went  forward  and 
faced  the  gathering, 

"Gentlemen,"  he  said,  "I  want  to  remind 
you  that  you  don't  know  the  man  who  just 
spoke,  and  you  don't  know  what  founda- 
tion he  has  for  what  he  says,  I  believe 
we're  capable  of  settling  our  own  affairs  in 
our  own  way,  and  we  don't  need  an  out- 
sider to  come  in  and  advise  us.  May  I 
ask  the  young  man  what  his  plan  of  pro- 
cedure would  be  if  this  resolution  was  car- 
ried?" 

27 


PUTTING  MARSHVILLE  ON  THE  MAP 

Barker  hastily  rose.  Here  he  was  face 
to  face  with  Mary's  father,  opposing  him 
the  first  time  he  ever  addressed  him*  But 
it  wouldn't  do  to  flinch  now.  He  must  see 
the  argument  through* 

**I  would  simply  refer  the  matter  to  the 
Marshville  Chamber  of  Commerce/'  he 
quietly  replied* 

The  Mayor  raised  his  hand* 

"There  is  no  Chamber  of  Commerce 
here/'  his  Honor  observed. 

"Then  permit  me  to  suggest  that  one  be 
organized/'  said  Barker  unabashed. 

"And  after  that?"  asked  Silas  Burns* 

"After  that,"  repeated  the  young  man,  "I 
would  have  a  strong  committee  appointed 
to  follow  up  this  movement  and  empower 
it  to  secure  the  best  man  possible  to  take 
active  charge  of  the  work." 

"Where  can  we  find  a  man  capable  of 
such  a  task?"  asked  the  Mayor* 
28 


PUTTING  MARSHVILLE  ON  THE  MAP 

John  Hancock  Barker  hesitated*  He 
was  personally  acquainted  with  only  one 
man  who  he  knew  could  fill  the  bill,  and 
that  man  was  on  a  vacation*  He  was 
about  to  suggest  that  this  point  might  be 
taken  up  later,  when  he  saw  the  early  set- 
tler arise. 

"Pd  like  to  make  a  suggestion/'  said  the 
old  man  bitterly,  "If  this  young  stranger 
is  to  be  our  advisor,  why  not  turn  the 
proposition  over  to  him,  and  the  hull  town, 
too,  for  that  matter?  And  now  I  want  to 
go  on  record  to  say  that  no  matter  what 
you  decide  at  this  meeting,  you  can't  carry 
out  the  plans  for  making  Marshville  a  city 
anyhow*  It  was  tried  before,  when  that 
gang  came  down  from  Chicago  to  start  the 
lace  fact'ry*  You  know  how  that  fizzled 
out*  And  another  thing,  it  'd  cost  money, 
and  Td  like  to  see  some  of  you  that  may  be 
ready  to  vote  for  the  resolution,  to-night, 
29 


PUTTING  MARSHVILLE  ON  THE  MAP 

come  up  with  your  share  of  the  dollars*" 

He  sat  down.  There  wasn't  much  ap- 
plause, but  it  was  very  evident  that  his 
words  had  proved  effective*  There  was 
an  audible  grumbling  in  all  parts  of  the 
hall*  The  allusion  to  cost  was  a  hard 
stroke  that  made  Marshville's  pride  wince* 

"I  will  repeat  my  question/'  said  the 
Mayor  to  Barker*  "Do  you  know  a  man 
capable  of  building  up  Marsh ville?"  he 
asked. 

"I  do/'  replied  Barker  determinedly. 

"And  who  is  the  man?" 

"John  Hancock  Barker/' 

"And  who  may  John  Hancock  Barker 
be?" 

"That's  my  name." 

There  was  a  cackling  laugh  from  the 
early  settler. 

"Jest  as  I  thought/'  he  sneered*  "This 
is  the  young  man's  scheme.  Purty  clever, 
30 


PUTTING  MARSHVILLE  ON  THE  MAP 

too*  Fust,  he  tries  to  make  the  position, 
and  then  he  tries  to  get  the  job*  But, 
young  man,  it  won't  go  in  Marshville*" 

Barker  flushed*  He  was  mad,  but  he 
tried  not  to  show  it* 

"I'm  misunderstood/'  he  said*  "I  mere- 
ly meant  to  help  out  in  this  matter,  be- 
cause I've  taken  an  interest  in  your  pro- 
posed movement.  I  wanted  to " 

The  early  settler  interrupted  him, 

"What's  your  business,  young  man?" 
he  asked* 

"I'm  an  adman,"  answered  Barken 

"A  what  man?" 

"An  adman,  a  professional  advertising 
expert*" 

"Oh,  you're  the  kind  that  tells  folks  that 
you've  got  the  best  on  earth  to  coax  'em  in, 
and  then  pawn  off  suthin'  cheap  on  'em*" 

"Pardon  me,  but  you're  badly  mistak- 
en," said  Barker,  "An  adman  is  a  com- 
31 


PUTTING  MARSHVILLE  ON  THE  MAP 

mercial  expert,  a  consulting;  trade  author- 
ity, a  past  master  in  the  art  of  publicity* 
He  builds  up,  he  increases,  he  expands*" 
Barker  paused* 

"Mr*  Mayor/'  said  Silas  Burns,  'Td  like 
to  ask  the  young  man  what  he  happens  to 
be  doing  in  Marshville?" 

"I'm  here  for  my  vacation,"  replied  Bar- 
ker* and  he  was  well  aware  that  the 
answer  did  not  sound  good* 

"It  seems  to  me,"  put  in  the  early  settler, 
"thet  a  young  man  who  looks  as  healthy 
and  strong  as  this  one  might  be  in  better 
business  than  takin'  vacations  when  he 
wasn't  fleecin'  people  by  advertisin'*" 

"There's  one  more  question  that  I  would 
like  to  ask,"  said  Silas  Burns,  "and  maybe 
this  will  settle  the  matter,  once  and  for  all* 
What  terms  would  Mr*  Barker  propose  for 
building  up  Marshville's  population  to  five 
thousand  before  the  census  is  taken?" 
32 


PUTTING  MARSHVILLE  ON  THE  MAP 

"One  thousand  dollars/'  answered  Bar- 
ker. 

"And  if  you  fail?" 

"Nothing!" 

A  look  of  surprise  came  into  the  counte- 
nances of  the  assemblage* 

"I  want  to  add  to  my  resolution,  that 
John  Hancock  Barker  be  employed  on  the 
terms  named/'  said  Ezra  Miller*  "If  he 
succeeds,  it's  worth  it*  If  he  fails,  we're 
none  the  worse  off*" 

"I  second  it,"  said  Sheldon  Ball 

"There  is  no  need  for  further  debate," 
said  the  Mayor*  "I  am  going  to  put  the 
question*" 

The  promise  of  continued  interest  and 
the  fact  that  failure  would  cost  nothing,  in- 
dicated to  Barker  the  way  the  vote  would 
go* 

"All  who  are  in  favor,"  said  the  chair- 
man, "say  'Aye*' " 

33 


PUTTING  MARSHVILLE  ON  THE  MAP 

There  was  a  volley  of  "Ayes*" 

"Opposed  ?" 

Silas  Burns,  the  early  settler  and  a  dozen 
others  constituted  the  "Noes/* 

"Carried/'  announced  the  Mayor*  "I 
will  ask  Silas  Burns,  Ezra  Miller  and 
Hiram  Tewkesbury  to  act  as  a  committee 
on  organization  for  a  Marshville  Chamber 
of  Commerce*  If  there  is  no  further  busi- 
ness to  transact,"  he  paused  and  looked 
around,  "the  meeting  stands  adjourned*" 

A  half  hour  later,  John  Hancock  Barker, 
seated  by  the  large  open  window  of  the  old- 
fashioned  front  room,  upstairs  in  the  Spen- 
cer House,  was  concluding  a  letter  to  Mary* 

"Don't  tell  the  folks  about  our  engage- 
ment until  you  come  home/'  he  wrote*  "I 
want  to  make  a  favorable  impression  first* 
Met  your  father  to-night*  He's  fine*  I 
only  hope  he'll  like  me  one-half  as  well  as  I 
know  I  am  going  to  like  him*  As  the 
34 


PUTTING  MARSH VILLE  ON  THE  MAP 

American  Airship  Company  doesn't  want 
me  for  a  month,  I  am  going  to  stay  around 
here,  where  III  have  nothing  to  do  but  to 
think  of  you  and  the  future*  You  were 
right,  Mary,  this  is  the  dearest  and  deadest 
old  town  in  the  United  States* 

"With  much  love, 

"John. 

"P.  S*  IT!  take  that  back  about  nothing 
to  do  but  think  of  you*  I  have  just  entered 
into  a  new  proposition*  I  have  contracted 
to  put  Marsh ville  on  the  map! 

"  J.  H.  B*" 


35 


PUTTING  MARSHVILLE  ON  THE  MAP 


IL 

John  Hancock  Barker  leaned  back  in  an 
easy  chair  on  the  front  porch  of  the  Spencer 
House*  It  was  just  a  week  since  the  mo- 
mentous meeting  in  the  town  hall*  The 
adman's  eyes,  complexion  and  belt  indi- 
cated that  Marshville  was  agreeing  with 
him.  He  raised  up  his  right  forearm  and 
felt  of  his  muscle  with  his  left  hand*  He 
drew  in  a  deep  breath  and  slapped  his  ex- 
panded chest* 

"Fit  as  a  fiddle/'  he  said*  "Hard  work 
in  this  climate  seems  to  build  a  man  up* 
I'm  as  brown  as  the  proverbial  berry,  as 
strong  as  the  stereotyped  ox  and  as  busy  as 
the  bromidical  bee*" 

He  drew  out  his  notebook  and  hurriedly 
turned  over  a  score  of  closely  written  pages* 
36 


PUTTING  MARSHVILLE  ON  THE  MAP 

"No/*  he  said,  "in  sporting  parlance,  the 
busy  bee  hasn't  got  anything  on  me!  It's 
about  time  to  review/'  He  turned  to  the 
first  page*  "The  meeting  in  the  town  hall 
— that's  pretty  well  fixed  in  my  mind*"  He 
skipped  two  leaves*  "The  organization  of 
the  Chamber  of  Commerce*  I  like  the  way 
young  Jones  handled  that  local  for  the 
Marsh ville  Gazette*  It's  literary  rather  than 
reportorial*"  With  an  amused  expression 
he  read  the  newspaper  clipping: 

MARSHVILLE  HAS  NEWCIVIC BODY 

CHAMBER  OF  COMMERCE  IS  FORMED 

AT   MEETING   OF   TOWN'S 

LEADING  CITIZENS 

Everybody  LTAsked  To  Join  In  Move 

To  Make  Marshville 

A  City 

The  wave  of  progress  that  is  sweeping  our  country 
from  ocean  to  ocean  gripped  Marsb ville  In  its  toils 
last  night  and  started  a  boom  that  may  result  In  our 
fair  town  remaining  a  legally  recognized  munici- 
pality. The  onward  rush  took  a  concrete  form 
in  the  organization  of  a  Chamber  of  Commerce, 

37 


PUTTING  MARSH VILLE  ON  THE  MAP 


which  body  will  henceforth  vigorously  strive  to 
keep  Marshvifle  well  to  the  forefront  of  the  en- 
terprising communities  of  this  state. 

Silas  Burns,  a  respected  and  leading  citizen,  whs 
bas  always  bad  the  welfare  of  our  city  at  heart, 
was  made  president ;  Ezra  Miller,  attorney-at-law 
and  counsel  for  the  Marshville  Interests  In  the 
lace  factory  suit,  vice  president ;  Truman  Crosby, 
real  estate  dealer,  treasurer,  and  Sheldon  Ball, 
newly  graduated  from  Western  Reserve  University, 
secretary. 

The  erst  action  of  the  body  was  to  employ 
John  Hancock  Barker,  a  professional  adman,  to 
assume  charge  of  a  campaign  to  bring  Marshville's 
population  once  more  to  5,000  so  that  it  may 
retain  the  rights  and  prosperity  of  city  govern- 
ment. If  at  our  next  census,  to  be  taken  la 
April,  the  population  falls  below  5,000,  Marsh- 
ville will  revert  to  the  village  class,  a  fact  that 
would  be  much  deplored  by  all. 

The  general  impression  is  that  the  task  Is  Im- 
possible. Mr.  Barker,  however,  was  employed  on 
condition  that  he  receive  $1,000  if  be  succeeds, 
and  nothing  if  be  fails. 

Committees  will  be  appointed  to-day  to  raise 
$2,500,  the  sum.  deemed  necessary  to  carry  on  the 
work. 


Barker  smiled  as  he  folded  the  clipping* 
"A  strong  send-off/'  he  mused*  "That 
chap  on  the  Gazette  is  going  to  be  useful, 
and  I  must  lead  the  columns  of  his  paper 
against  the  town's  only  enemy — con- 
servatism/' 

He  slowly  turned  the  pages  of  hi*  note- 
38 


PUTTING  MARSHVILLE  ON  THE  MAP 

book,  thoughtfully  checking  off  a  number 
of  items  from  a  long  list* 

"Everything  is  starting  nicely/'  he  said 
with  satisfaction*  "My  prospective  father- 
in-law  is  President  of  the  Chamber,  and, 
although  opposed  to  my  plans,  he's  giving 
me  fair  play*  He'll  like  me  before  we're 
through*" 

"Honk,  honk!"  sounded  a  noisy  auto- 
mobile horn  from  the  top  of  the  hill  that  led 
down  to  the  hotel*  A  little  later  a  heavy 
touring  car  stopped  near  the  porch  and  its 
only  occupant,  a  cheery-faced  young  man, 
stepped  nimbly  over  the  fore-door  onto  the 
running-board,  grasped  the  porch  railing 
and  vaulted  neatly  to  a  position  in  front  of 
the  adman* 

"Billy!" 

"John!" 

There  was  a  warm  handclasp  and  the 
two  men  were  at  once  engaged  in  rapid- 
fire  conversation* 

39 


PUTTING  MARSHVILLE  ON  THE  MAP 

"Well,  I  got  your  message/'  said  the  vis- 
itor, "and  here  I  am*  What's  your  game?'' 

"I'm  going  to  put  Marshville  on  the  map, 
Billy." 

The  visitor  slapped  both  of  his  knees 
vigorously  and  gave  forth  a  peal  of  hearty 
laughter* 

"Why,  Barker,  old  man,  you  don't  know 
what  you're  up  against*  This  place  died 
of  dry  rot  several  years  ago*  It  isn't  dying, 
it's  dead*  Do  you  get  me?  Dead!" 

"It's  no  worse  off  than  the  Seth  T« 
Grover  Company  was  when  I  tackled  it 
some  months  ago*" 

"Oh,  how  did  you  make  out  with  the  old 
house?" 

"Well,  I  gave  it  the  ginger  cure,  and 
here's  a  testimonial  from  the  proprietor," 

Barker  opened  and  handed  a  letter  to  the 
visitor,  who  glanced  through  it. 

"Bully!"  he  cried*  "Congratulations! 
But  come,  what  part  am  I  to  take  in  the 
40 


PUTTING  MARSHVILLE  ON  THE  MAP 

revivification  of  Marshville?  Tell  me 
that!" 

"Just  this*  You  go  down  here  two 
blocks  on  the  main  road  and  turn  toward 
the  Lake  until  you  come  to  the  first  path 
leading  to  the  Glens.  Go  down  and  stroll 
around  for  half  an  hour*  Billy,  that's  the 
beauty  spot  of  America!" 

"Then  what?" 

"Then  what?  That's  a  fine  question  to 
come  from  a  man  who  expects  to  be  the 
leading  summer  park  proprietor  of  the 
country*" 

"I  get  you,  Barker.  But  how  about 
transportation  facilities?  Cleveland,  Lorain, 
Elyria,  Sandusky,  Oberlin — um,  there  are 
plenty  of  people  to  draw  from,  but  one  train 
a  day  on  the  steam  road,  poor  service  on 
the  trolley,  and  no  regular  boat — nope,  it 
don't  look  good*" 

"Wait  a  minute,  Billy  Horton,  wait  a 
minute*  I'm  looking  after  the  North  Star 
41 


PUTTING  MARSHVILLE  ON  THE  MAP 

Line,  and  you  can  bet  the  steam  road  and 
the  trolley  are  going  to  compete  for  the  in- 
creased business*" 

"What  increased  business?" 

"Oh,  you're  waking  up,  are  you?  Well, 
then*  You  go  down  and  look  over  the 
Glens,  first*  Then  read  what  you  find  in 
this  envelope*  Think  the  proposition  over, 
as  I've  stated  it*  If  you're  going  to  say 
'yes/  stop  and  see  me  in  the  morning.  If 
you're  going  to  say  'no/  'phone  me  not 
later  than  four  o'clock*" 

"You've  got  me  guessing,"  admitted  the 
younger  man  as  he  took  the  envelope*  "I 
must  be  on  my  way*  Going  to  put  Marsh- 
ville  on  the  map,  are  you?" 

"That's  my  stunt*" 

"Believe  me,  Barker,  you've  picked  out  a 
hard  one  this  time*  But  darned  if  I  don't 
hope  that  I'm  going  to  like  the  part  you've 
written  in  for  me*  Slongl" 

"Slong!"  cried  Backer,  and  the  touring 
42 


PUTTING  MARSHVILLE  ON  THE  MAP 

car  soon  disappeared  around  the  second 
road  toward  the  Lake* 

Barker  looked  at  his  watch* 

"Just  time  to  keep  my  appointment  with 
old  man  Guernsey*  If  he's  won  the  name 
of  being  the  miser  of  Marshville,  and  if  the 
people  I've  met  here  are  considered  the  lib- 
eral spenders,  he  must  be  a  tight  wad  of  the 
first  water*" 

He  laughed* 

"Barker,  old  man,  I  admire  your  nerve* 
Go  to  it!" 

A  few  minutes  kter  there  was  a  vigor- 
ous discussion  in  Stephen  Guernsey's  front 
parlor*  The  veteran  man  of  means  was 
not  a  pleasant  host*  He  had  been  a  hard 
landlord  and  his  cold-blooded  dealings  had 
gained  for  him,  along  with  his  land  and 
money,  the  enmity  of  the  townspeople* 

John  Hancock  Barker  was  the  first  vis- 
itor to  cross  his  threshold  in  many  weeks, 
43 


PUTTING  MARSHVILLE  ON  THE  MAP 

and  he  eyed  the  young  man  with  suspicion 
and  general  disapprovaL 

"Mr*  Guernsey,  my  name  is  Barker* 
The  new  Marshville  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce has  appointed  me  to  take  charge  of 
the  movement  to  boost  Marshville  so  that  it 
may  remain  a  city*  I've  come  to  ask  your 
help/' 

"Huh,"  sneered  the  old  man,  "if  that's 
your  errand,  you're  wasting  time*  I  have 
no  use  for  Marshville,  and  Marshville  feels 
the  same  towards  me*" 

"So  I  hear,"  said  Barker,  "but  we're  go- 
ing to  change  all  that*" 

"Lookahere,  young  man,  don't  you  inter- 
fere in  my  business*" 

"I  wouldn't  think  of  it,  sir*  I  have  come 
to  bring  business  to  you*" 

"Well,  speak  out!" 

"It's  this  way,"  said  Barker*  "You've 
been  successful*  You've  made  money* 
44 


PUTTING  MARSHVTLLE  ON  THE  MAP 

You  own  one  of  the  biggest  and  choicest 
sections  of  the  town*    Am  I  right?" 

"Well,  supposing  you  are?" 

"Just  this*  YouVe  got  the  rest  of  Marsh- 
ville  jealous  of  you*  Because  you've  made 
money,  they  think  you  ought  to  share  it 
with  them*  That's  why  they  call  you 
stingy*" 

"What  are  you  getting  at?" 

"I'll  tell  you*  I'm  a  new  man  in  Marsh- 
ville*  I  look  at  things  fairly*  I'm  not  in- 
fluenced by  prejudice*  You're  not  exactly 
stingy*  You're  fair  and  you're  reasonable, 
but  you  believe  that  business  is  business 
and  mat  both  parties  should  come  half  way* 
Am  I  wrong?" 

"Well,  saying  y'aint,  what  then?" 

"Let  me  illustrate*"  Barker  unfolded  a 
piece  of  paper  and  kid  it  on  the  table  before 
the  old  man*  "Here's  Marshville  and  this 
is  the  section  you  own,  according  to  the 
county  map*" 

45 


PUTTING  MARSHVILLE  ON  THE  MAP 

"That's  right." 

"You've  got  three  hundred  acres  of  prop- 
erty that  ought  to  be  built  up  as  soon  as  the 
town  begins  to  grow/' 

"More'n  that/'  put  in  the  old  man* 

"Well,  now,  you're  finding  it  hard  to  sell 
because  there's  a  prejudice  against  you,  and 
the  last  few  sales  have  been  over  in  Gif- 
ford's  allotment  There's  plenty  more  land 
over  on  the  south  side  of  the  main  road,  but 
it  isn't  as  good  as  yours*  Building  is  going 
on  over  there  just  the  same  unless  you  do 
something  to  turn  it  your  way/' 

"Go  on,"  said  the  old  man  as  he  leaned 
forward* 

"Now,  if  you  could  sell  one  hundred  and 
fifty  acres  on  the  east  side  of  your  property 
near  the  lace  factory,  and  it  was  improved 
and  built  up  something  like  this,"  he  laid 
another  roughly  drawn  map  beside  the  first 
one,  "it  would  help  your  real  estate, 
wouldn't  it?" 

46 


PUTTING  MARSHVILLE  ON  THE  MAP 

"It  wouldn't  hurt  any/'  admitted  Guern- 
sey, 

"You  want  about  a  hundred  and  sev- 
enty-five dollars  an  acre,  I  suppose,"  said 
Barker  abruptly* 

"Two  hundred  and  twenty-five," 
snarled  the  old  man. 

Barker  picked  up  the  two  maps  from  the 
table,  folded  them,  placed  them  in  his  inner 
coat  pocket  and  took  his  hat* 

"Hold  on!"  said  Guernsey*  "Who  wants 
to  buy?" 

"Nobody  I  know,  at  that  price,"  replied 
Barker*  "Possibly  the  other  allotment  will 
do  as  well,  anyway."  He  moved  toward 
the  door* 

"Just  a  minute!"  exclaimed  the  old  man, 
and  he  wiped  his  forehead  with  a  crimson 
and  white  handkerchief*  "If  you  guarantee 
that  the  property  adjoining  mine  will  be 
improved  and  built  up,  111  split  the  differ- 
47 


PUTTING  MARSHVILLE  ON  THE  MAP 

ence  and  make  it  two  hundred  dollars  an 
acre/' 

"Let's  drop  the  subject  for  a  moment/' 
said  Barker*  "I  told  you  my  errand  was  to 
interest  you  in  boosting  Marshville*  You're 
the  town's  richest  citizen*  You  ought  to 
head  the  subscription  list  to  carry  on  the 
work  of  boosting  with  one  thousand  dol- 
lars/' 

"Not  me  I"  cried  the  old  man  fiercely* 
Again  Barker  started  toward  the  door* 
"Possibly  Gifford  wiU  be  glad  to,  if  he 
can  make  the  sale/'  he  said* 

Guernsey  clenched  his  hands  together 
and  mumbled  a  problem  in  mathematics  to 
himself*  "Thirty  thousand  dollars/'  he 
concluded*  Then  he  turned  to  Barker* 
"If  it's  a  sure  sale/'  he  said,  "and  the  im- 
provements are  guaranteed*  I'll  pay  the 
thousand*" 

"You  mean  head  the  subscription  list/' 
corrected  Barker* 

48 


PUTTING  MARSHVILLE  ON  THE  MAP 

"All  right,  then/'  cried  the  old  man  irri- 
tably, Til  head  the  subscription  list*  But 
how  am  I  to  know  that  this  is  all  right?" 

"I  took  the  liberty  of  guessing  our  inter- 
view would  come  out  this  way,**  Barker  re- 
plied* "I  think  you  will  find  that  these 
papers  are  satisfactory*" 

He  drew  from  the  pocket  where  he  had 
replaced  the  maps  a  legal  document  and 
handed  it  to  Stephen  Guernsey* 

"While  you're  looking  it  over,"  said 
Barker,  "will  you  allow  me  to  use  your 
'phone?  I  want  to  call  up  Jones  of  the  Ga- 
zette, so  that  your  contribution  to  the  fund 
may  be  announced  in  this  afternoon's 
paper*" 

"Don't  do  that,"  pleaded  the  old  man* 
"They'll  think  I'm  getting  crazy*" 

"They'll  think  that  they've  been  crazy  in 
misjudging  you,"  said  Barker*  "You  leave 
that  part  to  me*" 

49 


PUTTING    MARSHVILLE  ON  THE  MAP 

"All  right/'  assented  Guernsey  meekly, 
as  he  ran  his  eye  down  the  paper*  Then  he 
looked  up  suddenly*  "Ye  don't  mean  it's 
to  be  sold  to  the " 

"Sh!"  said  Barker*  "That's  one  thing  I 
forgot*  Nothing  is  to  be  said  about  the  pur- 
chaser of  your  property,  until  the  an- 
nouncement comes  from  that  side  of  the 
transaction*  Well,  are  you  satisfied  with 
the  proposition?" 

"Yes,"  said  the  old  man,  and  he  contin- 
ued to  study  the  document  while  Barker 
telephoned  the  news* 

There  was  keen  surprise  in  the  Marsh- 
ville  Savings  Bank  when  Stephen  Guern- 
sey and  John  Hancock  Barker  signed  their 
papers  and  concluded  their  deal,  but  those 
who  participated  in  the  transaction  were 
committed  to  secrecy* 

There  was  surprise  at  the  same  time 
about  the  Public  Square,  for  a  post  thirty 
50 


PUTTING  MARSHVILLE  ON  THE  MAP 

feet  high,  was  being  firmly  planted  near 
the  band  stand*  On  it  was  nailed  some- 
thing that  looked  like  an  heroic-sized  ther- 
mometer, but  instead  of  degrees  Fahrenheit 
were  lines  numbered  from  4,50  \  at  the  base 
of  the  pole  to  5,000  at  its  top*  The  work- 
men were  explaining  its  purpose  to  a  crowd 
of  interested  youngsters. 

Well  satisfied  with  his  progress,  the  ad- 
man hurried  back  to  the  hotel*  He  was  as- 
tonished to  find  the  directors  of  the  Cham- 
ber of  Commerce  seated  upon  the  front 
porch  waiting  for  him. 

Their  faces  bespoke  gloom  and  they  evi- 
dently were  not  glad  to  see  him,  as  they 
acknowledged  his  bow  with  jerky  nods* 

"One  moment,  gentlemen/'  said  Barker, 
and  he  called  through  the  screen  door, 
"Any  telephone  message  for  me?" 

"Nope,"  replied  the  clerk* 

The  young  man  looked  at  his  watch* 
5* 


PUTTING  MARSHVILLE  ON  THE  MAP 

"Good  I"  he  muttered.  "Billy  Horton  is 
going  to  take  up  the  park  proposition!'' 

He  turned  to  the  directors* 

"Well,  gentlemen  ?" 

"Sit  down/'  said  Silas  Burns  rather 
gruffly,  as  he  indicated  a  chair  in  the  center 
of  the  group* 

Barker  took  the  seat  and  awaited  devel- 
opments* 

"We,  the  directors  of  the  Chamber,  held 
a  meeting  this  noon,"  went  on  Mr*  Burns 
with  some  coolness,  "and  we  discussed  this 
idea  of  boosting  Marshville*" 

"Fm  sorry  I  couldn't  have  been  there," 
put  in  Barker*  "I  might  have  had  some 
suggestions*" 

"That's  what  we  were  afraid — I  mean, 
we  desired  to  talk  the  matter  over  by  our- 
selves* We  didn't  want  your  enthusiasm 
to  blind  our  judgment,  to  be  frank,  sir*" 

"I  see,"  said  Barker  gravely* 
52 


PUTTING   MARSHVILLE  ON  THE  MAP 

"We  discussed  the  start-off  of  this  affair 
and  the  things  you  proposed,  but  we  have 
concluded  that  we  know  now  the  imprac- 
ticability of  carrying  out  the  plan  in  Marsh- 
ville," 

The  adman  didn't  wince.  He  gave  no 
indication  of  his  feelings, 

"It's  fortunate  we  came  to  our  decision 
before  you  had  time  to  do  anything/'  con- 
tinued Silas  Burns, 

Barker  remained  silent  and  the  conversa- 
tion came  to  an  awkward  halt. 

Suddenly  there  was  a  loud  tooting  from 
the  Harbor, 

"Wonder  what's  wrong  down  to  the 
lake,"  said  Thomas  Martin,  "The  North 
Star  steamer  only  comes  in  on  Thursday." 

"I  may  be  mistaken,"  said  Barker,  "but 

I  believe  that's  a  tug  with  officials  from  the 

North  Star  looking  over  the  possibilities  for 

a  new  dock,   I  understand  that  the  present 

53 


PUTTING   MARSHVILLE  ON  THE  MAP 

place  isn't  large  enough  to  handle  any 
amount  of  freight/' 

"There  aint  no  freight  business  here  to 
speak  of  now/'  said  Martin. 

"No/'  agreed  Barker,  "not  now/' 

There  was  an  insinuation  in  his  voice 
that  his  visitors  caught  but  didn't  under- 
stand* 

"We  want  to  pay  you  for  your  time/'  re- 
sumed Silas  Burns,  and  he  looked  at  the 
adman  inquisitively  but  failed  to  get  a  re- 
sponse* 

There  was  another  embarrassing  silence* 

A  man  was  seen  passing  through  the 
Square  with  a  brass  instrument  under  his 
arm* 

"Guess  Jaeckels,  the  fishman,  has  got 
a  new  horn/'  observed  Jasper  Green, 

"No/'  said  Barker*  "That's  Lloyd 
Andrews  of  the  Marshville  Savings  Bank. 
He's  cornetist  in  the  new  band  that's  to  be 
54 


PUTTING  MARSHVILLE  ON  THE  MAP 

formed  to-night*  Used  to  be  soloist  with 
Sousa  up  to  the  time  his  health  broke 
down/' 

There  were  several  exchanges  of  furtive 
glances  at  this  remark. 

"What's  that  post  he's  goin'  by  now, 
with  the  marks  on  it  like  a  thermometer?" 
asked  the  inquisitive  Martin* 

"That's  a  recorder,"  replied  Barker,  "to 
show  how  the  population  increases*  You 
notice  the  indicator  points  to  4,50  f,  sup- 
posed to  be  our  present  population*  The 
goal  is  the  5,000  mark.  The  plan  has  been 
tried  and  found  successful.  It  stirs  up  the 
interest  and  civic  pride  of  the  good  citi- 
zens." 

The  group  looked  searchingly  at  the 
young  man.  His  reference  to  "good  citi- 
zens" sounded  rather  ironical,  in  view  of 
the  situation* 

"As  I  was  saying,"  observed  Silas 
Burns,  "we  want  you  to  be  satisfied  with 
55 


PUTTING  MARSHVILLE  ON  THE  MAP 

our  treatment*"  He  looked  inquiringly  at 
the  adman,  but  Barker  again  maintained 
silence* 

There  was  a  painful  lull,  while  two 
wagons  heavily  laden  with  brick  came 
leisurely  down  the  main  road. 

"Who's  buildin'?"  queried  Thomas 
Martin. 

"Can't  be  for  Butler's  new  house,  can 
it?"  asked  Sheldon  Ball* 

"That's  coming  to  the  hotel,"  said  Bar- 
ker* "It's  to  be  used  in  an  addition  along 
the  east  side  of  the  building*" 

"And  p'raps  you  may  know  who's  com- 
ing down  the  north  road?"  asked  Jasper 
Green* 

A  big  wagon  with  a  dozen  men  in  neat 
uniforms  was  passing  the  Square  on  the 
north  road* 

"Why,  that's  Marshville's  new  Baseball 
Club,"  said  Barber*  "Gibson's  Department 
56 


PUTTING  MARSHVILLE  ON  THE  MAP 

Store  furnished  the  uniforms  for  an  adver- 
tisement* The  boys  have  been  practicing 
for  a  series  of  games  with  Painesville*" 

"Coming  back  to  the  matter  in  hand/' 
said  Silas  Burns,  with  a  little  less  firmness, 
"our  message  is  simply  this:  We  can't 
raise  the  money  to  carry  on  your  campaign* 
You  said  there  ought  to  be  a  fund  of  twen- 
ty-five hundred  dollars.  We've  figured  it 
out  carefully*  We've  talked  to  some  of  the 
merchants  and  we  know  that  fifteen  hun- 
dred dollars  would  be  the  outside  figure 
that  we  could  raise*  Our  wealthiest  citizen 
is  not  the  kind  to  help  in  a  matter  like  this*" 

He  looked  around  and  there  was  a  gen- 
eral sneer  at  his  reference  to  Stephen 
Guernsey* 

"But  even  if  we  could  raise  the  fifteen 

hundred  dollars,  we  would  feel  it  would  be 

wasted,"  continued  the  president  of  the 

Chamber;  "not  because  it  would  be  your 

57 


PUTTING  MARSHVILLE  ON  THE  MAP 

fault,  young  man*    The  fact  is,  you  don't 
know  Marshville*" 

The  paper  boy,  with  the  evening  Ga- 
zettes under  his  arm,  was  crossing  the 
porch  to  the  hotel  office* 

"Here,  boy,"  said  Barker,  "give  each  of 
these  gentlemen  a  paper/'  and  he  tossed  a 
coin  to  the  happy  youngster* 

It  would  have  been  hard  to  miss  it,  be- 
cause old  man  Guernsey's  subscription  was 
announced  in  the  headlines  of  the  first  col- 
umn on  the  first  page* 

It  was  the  biggest  local  item  the  Gazette 
had  carried  since  the  burning  of  the  lumber 
yard* 

"Goshallhemlock!"  shouted  Thomas 
Martin*  'What's  this?" 

'I'll  bet  it's  a  joke  young  Jones  put  up," 
said  Jasper  Green*  "We  wouldn't  use  his 
money,  even  if  he  should  give  it*" 

Silas  Burns  raised  his  hand* 
58 


PUTTING  MARSHVILLE  ON  THE  MAP 

"Silence,  gentlemen,"  he  commanded* 
"I'm  going  to  finish  our  errand  here  and 
now*  Mr,  Barker,"  he  said  with  all  his  old 
firmness,  "the  fact  is  this*  WeVe  decided 
to  give  up  trying  to  keep  Marshville  a  city* 
We're  here  to  notify  you  not  to  start  any  of 
your  plans/' 

Barker's  eye  caught  sight  of  two  men, 
one  with  a  roll  of  white  paper  and  the  other 
with  a  long-handled  brush  and  a  pail* 
They  were  standing  before  Butler's  barn 
beyond  the  wheat  field  along  the  main  road* 
The  man  with  the  paper  knelt  down  and 
smoothed  out  several  sheets,  while  his  com- 
panion dipped  the  brush  into  the  pail  and 
smeared  the  side  of  the  frame  building. 

"Come,  Mr*  Barker,"  said  Silas  Burns, 
sharply*  "Can't  you  say  anything?" 

''Yes,"  replied  Barker  quietly,  and  he 
noted  that  the  two  men  were  smoothing  a 
square  of  paper  against  the  side  of  the  barn* 
59 


PUTTING  MARSHVILLE  ON  THE  MAP 

"Well,  what,  then?"  asked  Barker's  fu- 
ture father-in-law  impatiently* 

"You're  too  late/' 

The  young  man  pointed  across  the  road 
at  the  distant  barn*  Each  member  of  the 
little  group  looked  in  the  direction  indicated 
and  silently  watched  several  square  sheets 
take  their  positions  beside  the  first  one  until 
in  great  red,  white  and  blue  letters,  with  a 
many-colored  background,  they  read: 


MARSHVILLE  FAIR 


SEPTEMBER  26-30 


MANY  GREAT  ATTRACTIONS 

EXCURSIONS  BY  BOAT,  TROLLEY  AND 
STEAM  RAILROAD 


60 


PUTTING  MARSHVILLE  ON  THE  MAP 

"Gentlemen,"  said  the  adman  in  a  quiet 
but  determined  manner,  "with  or  without 
your  help,  I'm  going  to  put  Marshville  on 
the  map/' 

He  slowly  looked  into  each  face  in  turn 
and  noted  a  mixture  of  surprise  and  ad- 
miration and  humor* 

"Are  you  going  to  stand  by  me?" 

There  was  a  pause,  and  all  the  members 
of  the  group  turned  to  Silas  Burns* 

The  leader  of  the  party  looked  from  the 
poster  to  the  thermometer  and  then  at  the 
newspaper*  Slowly  his  gaze  found  its  way 
into  the  eyes  of  Thomas  Martin*  There 
was  a  momentary  pause  and  then  Martin's 
head  nodded  affirmatively*  The  gaze  trav- 
eled to  Jasper  Green,  and  he  nodded*  And 
after  Green,  the  others,  one  by  one,  met 
their  leader's  eyes  and  each  man  in  turn 
bent  his  head  to  show  consent* 

Silas  Burns  drew  a  long  breath  and  sud- 
denly extended  his  hand  to  the  young  man* 
61 


PUTTING  MARSHVILLE  ON  THE  MAP 

''They  think  we  should  stand  by  you/' 
he  said  with  a  backward  nod,  "and  so  we 
will/' 

"Thank  you/*  said  Barker,  and  there 
was  another  pause* 

"What's  that?"  asked  Thomas  Martin 
as  he  pointed  over  to  the  Public  Square 
where  a  boy  was  talking  excitedly  to  the 
workman  who  had  just  finished  setting  the 
thermometer* 

The  man  suddenly  stopped  and  lifted  the 
indicator  two  lines* 

"Johnny,**  shouted  Thomas  Martin,  and 
the  boy  hurried  toward  the  porch*  "What 
did  he  raise  the  indicator  for?** 

The  boy  caught  his  breath  and  called 
back:  "There's  twins  up  to  Joyce's!** 

"We're  on  the  way,"  laughed  Barker* 


PUTTING  MARSHVILLE  ON  THE  MAP 


HI* 

It  was  the  last  day  of  the  Marshville 
Fair.  The  weather  was  perfect,  and  the 
crowd  was  the  greatest  of  the  five  days, 
which  meant,  of  course,  that  it  was  the 
largest  in  the  history  of  Marshville* 

The  aisles  of  the  huge  exposition  build- 
ing— the  lace  factory  had  been  temporarily 
fitted  for  that  purpose — were  comfortably 
filled,  and  the  spacious  field  surrounding 
the  structure  was  marked  by  groups  of  in- 
terested sight-seers  in  front  of  the  canvas 
booths.  Where  the  white  tops  covered  re- 
freshment stands,  ring-toss  games  and  hit- 
the-nigger-baby-and-get-a-cigar  galleries, 
the  visitors  were  crowded  several  lines 
deep* 

63 


PUTTING  MARSHVILLE  ON  THE  MAP 

John  Hancock  Barker  was  making  his 
regular  afternoon  inspection  of  all  depart- 
ments, and,  as  he  watched  the  happy 
throng  filing  in  and  out  of  the  big  entrance 
way,  a  smile  crept  over  his  tired  but  con- 
tented face* 

He  felt  a  slight  tugging  at  his  sleeve  and 
turned  around*  To  his  surprise  there  stood 
the  early  settler  who  had  opposed  him  so 
bitterly  at  the  meeting  in  the  town  hall* 

"Boy,"  quavered  the  old  man,  "yer  show 
is  right  smart,  but  I'm  sorry  yer  going'  to 
make  the  town  bigger.  It's  big  enough  fer 
me  now/'  He  wouldn't  wait  for  an 
answer,  but  hurried  along* 

Barker's  happy  smile  broadened. 

Suddenly  he  looked  at  his  watch* 

"Five  o'clock,"  he  said*  "111  be  late  for 
the  meeting  if  I  don't  hurry." 

In  the  office  of  the  Exposition,  a  neatly 
furnished  room  on  the  top  floor  of  the  big 
64 


PUTTING  MARSHVILLE  ON  THE  MAP 

factory,  the  adman  found  all  the  directors 
of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce/  save  Silas 
Burns,  seated  about  the  large  table  in  the 
center  of  the  room*  They  nodded  pleas- 
antly as  he  entered,  and  Thomas  Martin 
drew  up  a  chair  for  him  beside  his  own  at 
the  head  of  the  table* 

The  adman  recalled  his  first  meeting 
with  this  same  board  on  the  porch  of  the 
Spencer  House  when  they  had  come  to 
notify  him  that  the  boost-Marshville  prop- 
osition was  off*  The  contrast  between  the 
two  receptions  was  so  amusing  that  he 
couldn't  repress  a  smile  as  he  took  his  chair* 

Thomas  Martin  arose,  looked  at  his  fat 
silver  watch  and  said  abruptly,  "The 
meetin'  will  come  to  order*  Silas  Burns 
'phoned  me  that  there's  comp'ny  up  to  his 
house  and  he  might  be  late.  Then  he  asked 
me  to  take  charge  of  the  meetin'  until  he 
arrived*  As  there's  more  than  the  usual 
65 


PUTTING  MARSHVILLE  ON  THE  MAP 

business  to  transact,  we'll  dispense  with  the 
readin*  of  the  minutes  of  the  last  meetin', 
if  there's  no  objection."  He  looked  around, 
but  there  was  no  objection,  so  he  continued : 

"This  bein'  the  last  day  of  the  Fair,  I 
b'lieve  it's  proper  thet  we  sh'd  hev  reports 
from  the  various  committees*  First,  111  ask 
Hiram  Tewkesbury  to  present  the  report  of 
the  halls  and  decorations  committee/' 

The  chairman  of  that  committee,  a  tall 
man  with  a  kindly  face,  arose  and  drew  a 
closely  written  paper  from  his  pocket*  "My 
report's  pretty  long,"  he  began,  "and  unless 
you  want  it  read,  I'll  jest  tell  the  main  facts* 
Of  course,  you  all  know  that  through  a 
reasonable  rental  arrangement  made  by 
Mr.  Barker  with  the  officers  of  the  Lace 
Company,  we  got  the  use  of  their  buildin* 
fer  the  main  exhibits.  Plans  showing  the 
booth  spaces  were  printed  and  sent  all  over 
the  northern  part  of  the  state  with  the  rest 
66 


PUTTING  MARSHVILLE  ON  THE  MAP 

of  our  boostin'  literachure,  and  you  know 
the  results*  Fifty-three  exhibits  and  more 
space  covered  than  any  county  fair  Ohio 
has  ever  known.  The  revenoo  derived 
from  the  sale  o'  this  space  amounted  to  four 
thousand,  one  hunderd  and  fifty-five  dol- 
lars* All  of  this  we  invested  in  makin*  the 
buildin*  ready  and  decoratin*  the  town  in 
the  beautiful  style  in  which  you  now  see  it. 
It  has  been  suggested  that  the  street  lightin' 
equipment  be  purchased  and  stored  in  the 
basement  of  the  town  hall,  so  as  to  be  used 
at  each  succeedin*  Marshville  Fair,  on  the 
Fourth  o'  July  and  other  times  when  it  is 
proper  that  we  should  indulge  in  civic  cele- 
brations* In  concludin',  I  desire  to  say  that 
our  committee  strongly  recommends  the 
purchase  of  said  lightin*  arrangements  as 
afore-mentioned." 

With  a  well-pleased  expression,  as  he 
saw  that  his  report  met  with  universal 
favor,  Hiram  Tewkesbury  sat  down. 
67 


PUTTING  MARSHVILLE  ON  THE  MAP 

Chairman  Martin  arose  and  said  with  a 
confident  air  of  parliamentary  knowledge, 
"We  will  not  act  upon  the  recommendation 
of  the  halls  and  decorations  committee  until 
we  have  ha->  the  financial  statement*  I  will 
now  ask  Henry  Spencer,  chairman  of  the 
accommodations  committee,  fo"  his  report," 

The  business-like  proprietor  of  Marsh- 
ville's  hotel  addressed  the  chain 

"You  all  know,  gentlemen/'  he  began, 
"that  for  the  last  ten  years  my  hotel  has  not 
been  a  successful  institution*  That's  why 
I  haven't  given  it  my  personal  attention,  but 
have  devoted  myself  to  my  ether  hotel  in 
Turnersville.  When  the  Fair  was  planned 
!  took  personal  charge,  and  as  you  know, 
have  increased  the  Spencer  House  to  fust 
about  double  its  old  size*  I've  sent  Sam 
Hedges  down  to  the  Turnersville  house, 
snd  I'm  going  to  look  after  the  Spencer  my- 
self, because  I  can  see  a  good  future  for  it* 
68 


PUTTING  MARSHVILLE  ON  THE  MAP 

Besides  what  the  hotel  has  done  during  the 
Fair  week,  thirty-two  houses  in  Marsh- 
ville,  to  my  knowledge,  have  been  taking 
care  of  pay  boarders,  and  this  doesn't  count 
in  the  number  of  families  that  have  been  en- 
tertaining friends*  I  believe  our  visitors 
have  been  well  cared  for,  and  I  want  to 
assure  you,  gentlemen,  that  from  now  on 
my  personal  interest  is  with  you  in  building 
up  Marshville." 

Timothy  Berton  reported  for  the  trans- 
portation committee  and  told  how  the  trol- 
ley and  railroad  had  prospered  during  the 
Fair  week  and  how  the  North  Star  Line 
had  run  two  boats  daily  in  order  to  carry 
the  crowds  from  Cleveland  and  Sandusky. 

"We  have  assurances/'  he  concluded, 
"that  four  eastbound  and  five  westbound 
trains  on  the  steam  road  will  stop  in 
Marshville  each  day,  and  the  trolley  line 
is  going  to  run  a  spur  through  the  center  of 
69 


PUTTING  MARSHVILLE  ON  THE  MAP 

the  town  down  to  the  boat  landing.  The 
county  commissioners  told  me  yesterday 
that  the  last  four  miles  of  brick  pavement 
from  Clifton  to  Marshvilk  center  will  be 
kid  at  once,  and  that,  gentlemen,  means  a 
continuous  procession  of  automobile  par- 
ties over  the  prettiest  road  in  Northern 
Ohio/' 

As  he  finished  there  was  a  loud  cheer 
outside  of  the  building* 

Sheldon  Ball  hurried  to  the  window  and 
looked  out  "It's  the  baseball  team/'  he 
announced.  "There's  a  big  crowd  carry- 
ing the  fellows  on  their  shoulders." 

"What's  the  score?"  asked  Thomas 
Martin. 

"What's  the  score?"  called  Sheldon  Ball 
through  the  window* 

It  sounded  as  if  a  hundred  answers  vol- 
leyed at  once 

"Marshville,  five;  Painesville,  two!" 
70 


PUTTING  MARSHVILLE  ON  THE  MAP 
The  chairman  arose  and  grinned  broad- 

ly- 

"Gentlemen/'  he  said,  "battin'  Cleve- 
land, Toledo  and  Sandusky,  we've  got  the 
champeen  baseball  team  of  Northern 
Ohio/' 

The  board  of  directors  applauded* 

"We  will  now  hear  the  report  of  the  en- 
tertainment committee,"  announced  the 
chairman,  "He's  not  a  resident  of  Marsh- 
ville,  but  a  young  man  who  has  our  inter- 
ests at  heart  and  whom  we  have  all  come  to 
like— Mr,  William  Horton," 

"Billy,"  as  Barker  familiarly  knew  him, 
in  a  concise  manner  told  oi  the  various  at- 
tractions that  his  committee  had  brought  to 
entertain  Marshville's  visitors.  He  related 
how  the  adman  had  first  interested  him  in 
the  Glens  and  how  he  had  turned  Marsh- 
ville's beauty  spot  into  a  park  where  a 
small  admission  fee  and  the  sale  of  refresh- 
71 


PUTTING  MARSHVILLE  ON  THE  MAP 

merits  would  pay  him  for  attracting  visitors 
from  the  neighboring  cities  and  towns 
throughout  the  summer  months*  "One  of 
the  most  enjoyable  entertainment  features 
of  the  week/'  he  said,  "has  bsen  the  play- 
ing  of  the  Marsh ville  Band/'  As  he  spoke, 
a  spirited  march  was  struck  up  just  outside 
the  building  and  the  speaker  paused*  "I 
needn't  say  anything  for  that  organization. 
It  speaks  for  itself/'  he  said  softly  as  he  sat 
down* 

There  was  silence  for  a  few  moments  as 
the  members  of  the  board  listened  to  the 
rhythmic  strains  of  music* 

"What  are  they  playing?"  asked  Chair- 
man Martin* 

"That's  the  Marshville  March,  written 
by  Conductor  Andrews,"  answered  Wil- 
liam Horton,,  "Just  listen  to  his  silver  cor- 
net carrying  the  air/' 

After  another  pause,  the  chairman  again 
rose*  "The  last  report,"  he  said,  "will  be 
72 


PUTTING  MARSHVILLE  ON  THE  MAP 

given  by  our  manager,  Mr«  John  Hancock 
Barker/' 

The  adman  stood  up,  addressed  the 
chair  and  looked  about  him* 

"My  report  is  a  brief  one/'  he  said.  "The 
number  of  paid  admissions  to  the  grounds, 
including  those  of  this  morning,  has  been 
twenty-nine  thousand,  two  hundred  forty- 
seven*  Before  the  gates  close  to-night,  it 
will  run  easily  over  thirty  thousand* 
That's  about  fifteen  thousand  better 
than  our  budget  anticipated*  Chairman 
Tewkesbury  told  you  what  the  receipts 
were  from  the  sale  of  space — something 
over  four  thousand  dollars*  The  admis- 
sions and  privileges  will  add  about  nine 
thousand  dollars,  and  our  original  fund 
contributed  by  the  citizens'  committee 
amounted  to  approximately  three  thousand 
dollars*  That  makes  the  receipts  between 
sixteen  and  seventeen  thousand  dollars,  and 
73 


PUTTING  MARSHVILLE  ON  THE  MAP 

I  believe  that  when  all  bills  are  paid  and 
the  subscriptions  returned,  there  should  be 
a  balance  of  from  two  thousand  to  twenty- 
five  hundred  dollars  as  a  starter  for  the 
second  annual  Marshville  Fair/'  He  was 
interrupted  by  the  directors'  applause, 
which  he  cut  short  by  continuing,  "I  want 
to  thank  you  for  the  fine  spirit  of  co-opera- 
tion given  me  on  all  sides." 

"Not  at  the  start,"  interrupted  Chairman 
Martin  with  a  grimace* 

"Well,  soon  after  the  start/'  said  Barker, 
and  there  was  a  general  laugh. 

A  young  man  entered  the  room  and  then 
drew  back. 

"Come  in,"  said  Chairman  Martin. 
"What  is  it?" 

"A  letter  for  Mr,  Barker." 

He  hurriedly  handed  it  to  the  adman  and 
disappeared. 

"Well  excuse  you,"  said  the  chairman, 
74 


PUTTING  MARSHVILLE  ON  THE  MAP 

"while  you  read.  It  may  be  suthin*  im- 
portant*" 

Barker  tore  open  the  envelope  and  read 
with  some  difficulty  the  pinched  handwrit- 
ing;, and  then  his  eye  descended  to  the  sig- 
nature which  was  that  of  Stephen  Guern- 
sey* He  looked  up* 

"It's  a  business  letter/'  he  explained, 
"from  Stephen  Guernsey*  He  says  he  has 
sold  four  lots  on  the  new  street  he  opened 
up  last  week.  He  also  tells  me  that  if 
Marshville  wishes  it,  he  will  give  that 
twenty  acres  of  woodland  on  the  south 
side  of  his  property  for  enlarging  the  public 
park*" 

"I  don't  think  we  ever  understood  old 
man  Guernsey,"  said  Hiram  Tewkesbury* 

"I  don't  think  we  ever  treated  him  right," 
said  Chairman  Martin*  "That's  why  I 
proposed  his  name  yesterday  for  the  head 
of  the  new  school  board*  That  ought  to 
get  him  in  touch  with  the  rest  of  us  again*" 
75 


PUTTING  MARSHVILLE  ON  THE  MAP 

While  they  were  talking,  John  Hancock 
Barker  read  to  himself  the  postscript  to  the 
letter:  "You  forgot  your  commission  on 
making  that  sale  for  me  of  the  one  hundred 
and  fifty  acres  near  the  lace  factory*  En- 
closed please  find  check,  with  thanks* 

"S.  G*" 

As  Barker  put  the  letter  in  his  pocket, 
Silas  Burns,  beaming  with  enthusiasm  and 
good  nature,  hurried  into  the  room* 

Chairman  Martin  vacated  the  place  at 
the  head  of  the  table  in  his  favor* 

"Boys,"  declared  the  president  of  the 
Chamber,  "it's  simply  great!  I  stopped  at 
the  dock  on  the  way  over,  and  the  North 
Star  steamer  was  packed  from  stem  to 
stern,  and  as  I  came  through  the  main  en- 
trance way  Mose  Campbell  said  his  turn- 
stile has  been  averaging  twenty-seven 
a  minute  for  the  last  hour  and  a  quarter* 
Have  you  got  the  business  all  transacted?" 
.  "All  the  reports  have  been  made,"  sa'd 
76 


PUTTING  MARSHVILLE  ON  THE  MAP 

his  predecessor  in  the  chair*  "We  jest  got 
up  to  the  point  where  you  were  to  tell  Mr* 
Barker  the  decision  we  reached  this  morn- 
in'*" 

The  bell  boy  from  the  Spencer  House 
tiptoed  into  the  room  and  laid  an  envelope 
before  the  adman* 

The  chairman  nodding,  Barker  opened 
the  envelope  and  read  to  himself: 

"My  Dear  Mr*  Barker:  The  best 
chicken  dinner  the  Spencer  House  can 
put  up  will  be  ready  tor  you  at  6  o'clock. 
I  hope  you  haven't  forgotten  your  fat 
friend  with  the  red  tie,  who  made  a  bet 
with  you  one  month  ago  on  the  station 
platform*  I  said  I'd  treat  to  a  dinner  if 
you  were  in  town  when  I  struck  it  on  my 
next  trip*  Whew!  but  you've  been  do- 
ing things* 

"Until  dinner, 

"Yours, 

"Mark  Strong*" 
77 


PUUTING  MARSHVILLE  ON  THE  MAP 

The  adman  looked  up* 

'It's  an  invitation  to  dine  with  an  old 
friend  of  mine/'  he  explained* 

"Now/'  said  Chairman  Burns,  "now  for 
our  message*  Mr*  Barker,  the  directors  of 
the  Marshville  Chamber  of  Commerce  dis- 
cussed this  morning  the  terms  of  our  agree- 
ment by  which  you  were  to  receive  one 
thousand  dollars  in  cash,  provided  Marsh- 
ville's  population  passed  five  thousand  be- 
fore April  first*  The  population  is  now — " 
he  looked  out  of  the  window  at  the  ther- 
mometer, "according  to  the  city  clerk's  rec- 
ords, four  thousand,  eight  hundred  and  fif- 
teen* At  the  present  rate  it  will  easily  pass 
five  thousand  long  before  April  first*  Ac- 
cordingly, we  have  decided  to  lay  aside  the 
agreement  on  account  of  your  splendid  ef- 
forts, and  I  take  great  pleasure  in  handing 
you,  here  and  now,  this  check  in  recog- 
nition of  your  services/' 
78 


PUTTING  MARSHVILLE  ON  THE  MAP 

He  stepped  forward  and  laid  the  check 
before  the  young  man. 

"But  wait/'  said  Barken  "This  isn't 
right  One  thousand  dollars  was  to  be  the 
amount*  This  is  more*" 

"Well/'  replied  the  chairman,  "we  be- 
lieve the  population  will  be  more  than  five 
thousand/' 

The  adman  tried  to  express  his  thanks, 
but  Silas  Burns  stopped  him* 

"One  minute,  gentlemen*  I  want  a  word 
m  private  with  Mr*  Barker*"  He  led  the 
young  man  to  the  outer  room  and  grasped 
him  firmly  by  the  hand* 

"Barker— John/'  he  said,  "Mary's 
home*  She's  told  me*  I'm  proud  of  you, 
boy*" 

Barker  tried  to  speak,  but  the  old  man 
checked  him, 

"You'll  be  late  for  dinner/'  he  said* 
"Run  along,  now*  We'll  be  looking  for 
79 


PUTTING  MARSHVILLE  ON  THE  MAP 

you  up  to  the  house  after  your  engagement 
— I  mean  the  dinner  engagement*" 

The  adman  drew  from  his  pocket  two 
folded  papers  and  handed  them  to  his  future 
father-in-law* 

"I  thought  you  might  like  to  show  these 
to  the  board/' he  said*  "Good-bye/' 

"Good-bye,  till  to-night/'  said  Silas 
Burns* 

The  old  man  drew  a  long  breath,  re- 
entered  the  room  and  took  his  place  at  the 
head  of  the  table* 

"He's  left  a  message/'  he  said*  "I'm  go- 
ing to  read  it*"  He  laid  the  papers  on  the 
table,  carefully  wiped  his  spectacles,  re- 
adjusted them  and  cleared  his  throat* 
Then  he  picked  up  the  first  paper  and 
slowly  read: 


80 


PUTTING  MARSHVILLE  ON  THE  MAP 


A  CITY 

A  city  is  not  merely  an  area  upon 
which  houses  are  built  and  where 
people  exist. 

A  city  is  a  living,  pulsing  institu- 
tution,  with  heart  and  soul  and 
character. 

Its  character  is  determined  by  its 
citizenship. 

Its  value  to  you  depends  directly 
upon  your  service  to  it. 

Love  your  Marshville,  work  for 
it,  and  your  reward  will  be  certain. 

Marshville  was  dead  ! 

IT  IS  ALIVE ! 

Keep  it  so ! 


Silas  Burns  paused  and  looked  about 

The  adman's  words  had  made  a  deep 
impression. 

Suddenly  there  was  a  shout  outside  and 
then  more  shouts  and  then  continuous 
shouting,  accompanied  by  the  spirited 
playing  of  the  Marshville  Band, 

The  directors  crowded  about  the  big 
window* 

81 


PUTTING  MARSHVILLE  ON  THE  MAP 

In  the  center  of  the  Square,  gathered 
around  the  thermometer,  was  an  eager 
throng  with  eyes  fixed  on  the  top  of  the  tall 
pole* 

"Five  thousand!"  cried  Thomas  Mar- 
tin. 

"It's  a  joke!"  shouted  Hiram  Tewkes- 
bury, 

"Wait  a  minute,"  called  Chairman 
Burns,  sharply*  "The  meeting  will  come 
to  order,  I  haven't  finished*" 

They  stood  at  the  window,  while  the 
old  man  continued  reading:  "The  Amer- 
ican Airship  Company  bought  Stephen 
Guernsey's  property  along  the  track,  and 
closed  a  deal  one  week  ago  with  the  Lace 
Factory*  Two  hundred  men  will  arrive 
on  the  six  o'clock  train  to-day,  to  begin 
the  work  of  remodeling.  My  contract  is 
fulfilled*" 


82 


PUTTING  MARSHVILLE  ON  THE  MAP 


I'll  be  hornswoggled!"  cried 
Thomas  Martin.  The  others  were  too  ex- 
cited for  words* 

Slowly  Silas  Burns  unfolded  the  other 
papzr*    It  was  of  thin,  stiff  material  and  it 
nearly  covered  the  table*    The  little  group 
bznt  over  it  inquisitively,  and  Thomas 
Martin's  nose  almost  rubbed  against  it  as 
the  big  sheet  was  finally  smoothed  out* 
"A  map!"  exclaimed  Jasper  Green* 
"Of  Ohio!"  said  Hiram  Tewkesbury* 
This  year's!"  called  Sheldon  Ball* 
They  all  bent  a  little  closer  and  Silas 
Burns'  big  forefinger  traced  the  coast  of 
Lake  Erie  westward  from  Cleveland  and 
suddenly  stopped* 
"Marshville's  on  the  mapl" 


83 


University  of  California 

SOUTHERN  REGIONAL  LIBRARY  FACILITY 

405  Hilgard  Avenue,  Los  Angeles,  CA  90024-1388 

Return  this  material  to  the  library 

from  which  it  was  borrowed. 


OCT1919» 

OCT  I  1  1993 


— 

000035972    9 


ilifornia 

ional 

lity 


